“My dad died on the street,”: daughter of Dale Culver seeking justice nearly six years after father’s death

“He wasn’t an item or a piece of paper, he was a person,”

Those are the words of Lillooet Speed the daughter of Dale Culver who passed away during a struggle with the Prince George RCMP in July of 2017.

The court proceedings for the five officers involved were originally scheduled for today (Tuesday) but have been pushed back to May 2nd.

Cst. Paul Ste-Marie and Cst. Jean Francois Monette each faces a count of manslaughter while Cst. Arthur Dalman, Cst. Clarence (Alex) Alexander MacDonald, and Sgt. Bayani (Jon) Eusebio Cruz has been charged with attempting to obstruct justice.

Speed, who was 14 when she lost her father, said she will not allow his memory to fade away.

“I refuse to let my Dad’s death be forgotten about without change and to just be subjected to a number on a case file. He was my dad and the dad of my two young siblings.”

Much like the rest of her family, Speed didn’t find out about her dad’s passing until three days after it happened.

“It has been consumed by questions and uncertainties and fear surrounding my dad’s death. I was awoken around 3 a.m. in July of 2017 to find out that my dad was killed by the RCMP 72 hours prior.”

On top of justice being served, Speed wants a formal apology from the individuals involved who contributed to her father’s death.

“For my dad to just be profiled as an Indigenous man on a bike at the wrong place at the wrong time speaks volumes about the systemic racism in the RCMP. No one deserves to die at the hands of the RCMP and no one deserves to die alone. We need to see some serious changes.”

“I was scared, angry, and confused as to how people who are supposed to help, guide, and keep people safe could take those lives away just as fast. I feel unsafe and scared for so long knowing that the people responsible for his death are not only still working and on duty with the RCMP in Prince George, they still get to find joy in spending time with their families and loved to experience all the normal things every normal family should experience,” added Speed.

Lastly, Speed wants to make one thing abundantly clear about her father’s passing.

“My dad actually didn’t die in the hospital, he died on the street. He was then later declared dead in the hospital – he did not die in the hospital, he was killed on the street.”

Speed and several other family members gathered at the Prince George Courthouse this morning (Tuesday).